Plantwise: helping female farmers in Nepal access advisory services 

Female tomato farmer in Nepal
In almost all regions of Nepal, women have a greater involvement than men in farming activities. The World Bank estimates that 74% of Nepalese women work in agriculture, yet they struggle to have equal access to agricultural resources.  A new study highlights gender integration in the Plantwise programme and identifies the strengths and limitations in Nepal. It focuses…
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Gender-sensitive rural advisory services in Ghana come under the spotlight in training workshop

Plantwise-gender
CABI, as part of its global PlantwisePlus programme, has held a training workshop in Ghana aimed at building the capacity of the country’s regional agricultural officers to deliver advisory services which are mindful of the sensitivities of gender differences.
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Innovation on the ground can be critical for gender integration

Female farmer walks along dirt track holding vegetable crop, Kenya
Gender-based social norms are major barriers to women accessing agricultural extension advice and adopting new practices.  Although women make up 43% of the global agricultural labour force, just how gender-equitable are extension services like Plantwise?
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Digital advisory tools in the hands of women agricultural service providers

female extension worker
Smallholder farmers across the world need access to advisory services to support them in managing pest and disease issues on their crops. As part of its PlantwisePlus programme, CABI is developing and promoting digital advisory tools to increase access to the information that farmers need to adopt safe and effective agricultural practices. One of the…
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Women in rural agriculture: a CABI interview

female farmer
Women play a significant role in agricultural production. Although women have limited say in decision-making on family farms, they make up nearly half of the global agricultural workforce. However, female farmers face a number of barriers, which must be addressed if we are to achieve a number of Sustainable Development Goals, including SDG 5: Gender…
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PlantwisePlus: female farmers and rural extension advisory services

Female farmer at a plant clinic
It’s widely known that female farmers make up a substantial portion of the agricultural labour force (43%) in developing countries. However, productivity gaps between farms managed by men and women farmers exist, because women farmers have less access to various production inputs and labour, compared to male farmers.[1]
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Plant clinics: Gender impacts in Zambia

Plant clinic in Zambia
Women are key to the future of agriculture and ending world hunger. Currently, female farmers make up 43% of the global agricultural workforce and play an important role in farming production and improving food security. However, the hurdles women face are real. Women often find it harder than men to access agricultural information, finance and…
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More women are getting access to plant health advice through Plantwise and they grow the same crops as men

female farmer at a plant clinic
It is widely known that women have less access than men to agricultural extension services. Extension agents most often speak to household heads who tend to be men, as well as other male farmers. Plus, the extension agents themselves also tend to be men. Women often work longer hours than men too (12-17 hours per…
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“We the women can do it.” Meet Jacinta, a farmer from Bolivia

In a new video, Plantwise follows the life of Jacinta Delgadillo, a farmer from Comarapa, Bolivia. Jacinta and her family grow beans, peppers, and other crops for food and to generate an income. When the crops are attacked by pests and diseases, Jacinta uses her local plant clinic to gain knowledge on how to better…
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Female farmers and extension workers should take the lead in reducing gender inequality in agriculture

woman making bundles of wheat
A CABI-led study which compares male and female perceptions of access to and use of agricultural advisory services to help improve yields says women should take a lead role in helping to reduce inequalities which hinder their contribution to farming. Julien Lamontagne-Godwin, lead author of a new paper, published open access in the Journal of Agricultural Education…
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